CJM Models - N Gauge Wagon Weathering
26 032 in heavily faded and weathered red stripe railfreight livery with Minitrix HAA hopper heavily weathered.
Weathering Rust
Not all wagons / locos, in fact very few just get dirty they have a knack of getting rusty quite quickly. I remember when measuring / photographing 67004 which had not been in service very long, just how much rust was appearing around grills, body seams and the under frame!
Whilst the models depicted in this section could be described as extreme with a little perusing of the web and a decent website it is not hard to find wagons or locos particularly those working in a quarry / mine or scrap line for that matter looking just as sorry for them selves. Many of the photos have been enlarged to show just how intricate these effects are and how corrosion, peeling and fading paint are all worked together to produced a model of amazing character. Plainly these effects are immensely time consuming and very protracted (they are not cheap) but for a diorama setting on your layout or for adding that extra dimension to your loco or wagon fleet they are a must!
All the models so far produced have been on a special commission basis as part of an order for similar wagons in light, medium and heavy with a couple of these thrown in for good measure, on this basis they added an additional £50 - £60 added to the bill. Typically a completely reworked wagon would work out around £50.
The Kato RS-2 loco in a very faded 2-3 colour livery without lots of masking / transfers is available as a complete faded rusty model for £395.00. Something of a bargain as the base model in the States retails for around $100! Comparison with the ARC 59 in the background which shares the same base colours gives an idea of the fading weathering involved. Imagine a B R Blue 37, 47 or 50 on a scrap line so treated! Would you need a CJM chassis? If not then this could be yours for similar money. Please note with locos “standard RTR finishes” this technique really doesn’t work, so a respray is required and even wagons have a special base coat applied to apply these techniques on.
Wagon Loads
CJM can now load your wagon using appropriate material and weight reducing techniques (without recourse to CJM power although this will enhance the effect as 20 empty wagons can be too much for many RTR locos) each load is individually produced at the time of weathering so no 2 vehicles are identical and the overall effect greatly enhanced. Not all wagons are seen fully loaded many open wagons run empty with a residue left in the bottom. Have look on the web at MBAs and MOAs for example.
All empty and loaded effects £5.00 per wagon (when the wagon is weathered by CJM, this offer is not available separately).
Silver Bullets
The Dapol Silver Bullet china clay wagon is greatly enhanced by the addition, even in its lightest form to eliminate the plastic coated chrome plating effect, which rather detracts from what is a much needed and good looking model. Whilst light and medium effects are comparatively straight forward, dirty is all together more tricky and is only achieved by parting tank from chassis and of course removing the ladders which can then be made to appear thinner with judicious painting. Clearly this does mean prices are higher for more heavy effects but I believe the results more than justify this. Certainly customer reaction has been most favourable!
Several photos include an “out of the box” model for comparison.
| Light Weathering | £15.00 |
| Medium Weathering | £20.00 (£15.00 if done as part of a mixed rake) |
| Heavy Weathering | £25.00 |
Prices quoted are for weathering non weathered wagons.
HAA
HAA coal hoppers mixed rake light, medium and heavy weathered.
Have your own rake of ten wagons weathered for just £100 plus P&P
HTA
HTA coal hoppers. A selection of photographs depicting light medium and heavy weathering.
Have your own hoppers similarly treated for just £150 per 10 + P&P
HHA
Left HHA: Ex works - Right HHA: Medium Weathered.
HHA coal hoppers. A selection of photographs depicting light medium and heavy weathering.
Have your own hoppers similarly treated for just £150 per 10 + P&P